Visiting Sioux City

While I’ll always be a Colorado girl at heart, my roots are midwestern: I was born in Sioux City, Iowa, where many family members still live.

For my grandpa’s 90th birthday, we gathered in Sioux City to celebrate him—traveling from near and far to northwest Iowa.

While we were visiting Sioux City, I made it a priority to explore the area through my own lens—as a mini vacation, checking out and staying in new-to-me places. We packed our trip with fun activities, great food, and excellent places to stay.

Keep reading to learn more about Sioux City, including its history, attractions, and the details of our visit.

About Sioux City

A brief history

Sioux City, Iowa, is a vibrant city with a rich history dating back to the 19th century. It was established in 1854 and named after the Sioux tribe, who originally inhabited the region.

The city flourished during the steamboat era and later became a significant hub for the meatpacking industry. Sioux City’s historical tapestry is woven with tales of Native American heritage, pioneering spirit, and industrial growth, making it a great destination for history lovers.

Location and demographics

Sioux City is located in the northwestern corner of Iowa, along the Missouri River (known affectionately as the Mighty Mo to locals), near the borders of South Dakota and Nebraska. There’s a robust history of industry and trade, thanks to this location.

Sioux City has a population of approximately 85,000 residents, which makes it the fourth-largest city in Iowa, and is divided into several main neighborhoods, including:

• Downtown: The heart of town, featuring historic buildings, shopping, dining, and cultural attractions.
• Morningside: A vibrant, family-friendly area known for its residential charm, parks, and the Morningside College campus.
• North Side: A historic neighborhood with beautiful old homes and parks
• Riverside: Located along the Missouri River (or, Mighty Mo as I’ve always known it), offering scenic views, parks, and recreational opportunities.
• Sunnybrook: A newer development area with modern amenities, shopping centers, and residential communities.

Our visit

Sioux City Activities

Downtown Sioux City

One of my favorite things about Sioux City is the public art, notably in the downtown area. It seems clear that attention has gone into preserving a high spirit of creativity in the area, and I loved that! We walked around downtown and enjoyed getting a sense of the city’s character and history.

Sioux City Art’s Center

One of the most iconic sights in town is the beautiful Art Center building. In addition to its gorgeous architectural design, there are also free exhibits inside. Plus, the center offers classes, workshops, and events.

We loved walking through the exhibits, which included themed rooms of elements, Iowa-based art, and an exhibit on climate change. There were beautiful works with powerful imagery, themes, and messaging.

Fun fact: my mom used to work at the Art’s Center! This made it even more special, to see a place I used to visit often as a kiddo. 🙂

www.siouxcityartcenter.org
225 Nebraska St, Sioux City, IA 51101

Sioux City Public Museum

We stopped by the Public Museum, which offers an impressive and comprehensive look at the history and culture of Sioux City and the surrounding area. It was packed full of interactive exhibits, displays, and historic artifacts—a sensory overload that’s interesting, engaging, and family friendly.

Fun fact: before we moved to Colorado, my dad worked for Gateway 2000, which was headquartered in Sioux City. Sure enough, the Public Museum had a fantastic Gateway display, which included an old-school Microsoft computer program that had vintage files from the company to search and scroll through. Naturally, I looked through photos to find my dad. Instead, I found photos of myself as a child! I had a distant memory of doing a modeling session at Gateway for their promotional materials, and here it was! Four year old me, on the screen, at the Sioux City Public Museum. Crazy!

www.siouxcitymuseum.org
607 4th St, Sioux City, IA 51101

Sergeant Floyd River Museum + Welcome Center

Regarded as another iconic Sioux City spot, the Sergeant Floyd River Museum and welcome center is housed in a riverboat that overlooks the Missouri River. It’s very cool! The boat is packed full of exhibits relating to the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Sergeant Floyd is a prominent historic figure locally. He was the only person to die on the Lewis and Clark expedition—in the area that is now Sioux City. The exhibit features information on him, his monument, and the lasting legacy. I even walked away with a t-shirt featuring the pencil-shaped monument in town.

It’s free, though donations are welcome.

1000 Larsen Park Rd, Sioux City, IA 51103
www.siouxcitymuseum.org/sergeant-floyd-river-museum

Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center

Right down the path from the riverboat, the Lewis and Clark Center is an engaging and interactive museum that focuses on the expedition. The exhibits include life-size figures, dioramas, and educational films that bring the journey to life and are very child-friendly.

We also appreciated the abundance of history on Native Americans and information on the Sioux tribe. This center is also free to enjoy for guests.

900 Larsen Park Rd, Sioux City, IA 51103
www.siouxcitylcic.com

Grandview Park

Grandview Park is home to the iconic bandshell that hosts the annual Saturday in the Park concert on the Fourth of July. Even on quiet days, like during our visit, Grandview Park provides beautiful sweeping views, a walkable trail, tranquility, and lush landscaping. It was gorgeous and we enjoyed spending some time outside in the park.

24th & Grandview Sioux City, IA 51104

Riverside Park

My family met up one of the nights for a very fun pickleball outing at Riverside Park. It was awesome! They are probably the best pickleball courts I’ve seen, with so many to choose from. We had a blast and loved using the space.

Plus afterward, we went on a gorgeous sunset walk along the river path. Riverside Park has a ton of other amenities too, like a pool, baseball field, soccer field, playground, a shelter, and more.

1301 Riverside Blvd, Sioux City, IA 51109

Stoney Creek Hotel

Post-reunion, our family was looking for an easy space to gather and relax. I suggested the outdoor space at Stoney Creek Hotel, and it was perfect!

I can’t imagine a better spot: not only was it free to have a decent-sized gathering, but the outdoor space was beautifully landscaped, and there was a musician playing. We brought our own food and drinks to enjoy, but the on-site bar was a great option.

We ended up utilizing this space more than once because we loved it so much.

300 3rd St, Sioux City, IA 51101
www.stoneycreekhotels.com

Family time

I’d be remiss not to mention the reunion itself: my Grandpa Bert celebrated turning 90 years old this year, surrounded by family and friends from near and far—from daughters and grandkids to all the buddies he’s made walking at the mall. It was great to see him so celebrated, and to spend time with all our family.

Food and drink

We had a ton of great food and drinks while visiting Sioux City. Here are some of my favorites:

• Jitter’s Coffee. Sunshine donuts are a MUST—you can’t go wrong with their classic chocolate!
• Marto Brewing Co. A great addition to downtown, Marto had a mix of delicious beers and food options to choose from. We loved it!
• Tastee In & Out. To me, a loose-meat tavern from Tastee’s is what Sioux City is all about. A favorite from my childhood!
• Miles Inn. A local cash-only institution, the Miles Inn is a dive bar with $4 schooners and Charlie Boys—their spicier take on the loose-meat tavern.

Where to stay

I highly recommend staying at Stoney Creek Hotel! Chad and I stayed here for two nights, and loved our time in our cozy cabin-themed suite. It had all the amenities for a luxurious visit: an incredibly scenic private balcony, giant cozy bed, and even a jacuzzi bathtub. We loved it.

Plus, it was an additional bonus to be located right in downtown Sioux City, and to offer our family the meeting space outside. Beautiful, scenic, and very fun.

The best part: Stoney Creek Hotels have locations across the Midwest. You can use the code 2STONEY24 for 15% your next stay at any Stoney Creek location. Enjoy!!

Other attractions

• Stone State Park / Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center
• Adam’s Homestead and Nature Preserve
• Sioux City Railroad Museum
• Hard Rock Cafe and Casino

Top restaurants

• Jerry’s Pizza
• SoHo Kitchen & Bar
• The Diving Elk
• Sneaky’s Chicken
• P’s Pizza House – Dakota Dunes
• Four Brothers Bar and Grill
• Bob Roe’s Point After
• Wheelhouse
• Rebos

Explore Sioux City

Overall, our visit to Sioux City was a blast! We got to experience so much of what the area has to offer, and learned so much history while doing so. Plus, it was so nice to experience the culture for free—the accessibility to art and history amazes me.

I highly recommend a visit to Sioux City as a midwestern stop. Thanks to Explore Siouxland and Stoney Creek Hotel for hosting me!

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